Edifying Meets Edgy Halfway - THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH by Carrie Ryan

In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?

I have never read a zombie book and so was very skeptical about picking up The Forest of Hands and Teeth. From the very beginning it captured my attention! I enjoyed it very much. Because it has so much death and peril in it I wouldn't consider it to be very edifying.The book is pretty descriptive of the zombie's(unconsecrated) as they rattle fences and you can almost hear the moaning that they emit. But it has little or no language or sexual references which makes it an easy book to recommend for the middle school age level.

Unlike Julie, I was dying to read this book the minute I started seeing the buzz about it on the Internet. THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH is an enthralling post-apocalyptic masterpiece. Carrie Ryan’s description of the unrelenting Unconsecrated comes through loud and clear to the reader. At times, the suspense will cause you to put the book down for fear of what you might read next only to pick it up again because you can’t wait to find out. You’ll be able to feel the boney fingers of each and every Unconsecrated reaching for you as you turn page after page of this amazing novel. The ending definitely leaves the reader begging for the next installment in this amazing series.

How would you like to win a paperback copy of this wonderful book? Well, fill out the form for a chance.

Winner of the CANDOR Giveaway

Congratulations to

DENISE P.

She is the winner of CANDOR by Pam Bachorz.

If you didn't win this time, don't fret. There will be more contests to come.

Edifying Meets Edgy Halfway - CANDOR by Pam Bachorz

Even though Julie and I have different tastes in books, every once in a while one comes along we both can appreciate. In our Edifying Meets Edgy Halfway posts we'll feature a book we both like and give our opinions on where it fits in the realm of young adult literature. For our first book we'll talk about CANDOR by Pam

Bachorz.

Oscar Banks has everything under control. In a town
where his father brainwashes everyone, he's found a way
to secretly fight the subliminal Messages. He's got them all fooled: Oscar's the top student and the best-behaved teen in town. Nobody knows he's made his own Messages to deprogram his brain. Oscar has even found a way to get rich. For a hefty price, he helps new kids escape Candor, Florida before they're transformed into cookie-cutter teens. But then Nia Silva moves to Candor

and Oscar's carefully-

controlled world crumbles.

I enjoyed Candor. I did have an issue with some language and sexual references. There were definate nail-biting scenes in the book that caused my heart to race and my fingers to want to turn the pages quicker. I would say this is definately a more mature-themed book.

Check out my review.

CANDOR is an intense

story about the dangers of control and the insistence of perfection. Readers will be fascinated with life in Candor and won’t want to put the book down. Oscar, even though self-serving at times, is a great character to get to know and Nia and Oscar’s relationship is heart-warming. In terms of science fiction, CANDOR is a winner. Even with the mentions of alcohol consumption and Oscar's vivid imagination when it comes to sex and girls, CANDOR is still a great choice for middle schools. Eighth graders will love the story. Think Stepford Wives for young people.

Check out my review.

Now, would you like a chance to win a copy of CANDOR? If so, fill out the form below. The giveaway ends on Monday, February 8th at Midnight (CST).